


Family

by Frozenleaf



Series: Lonashipping Week 2019 [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 07:22:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19988323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frozenleaf/pseuds/Frozenleaf
Summary: Family is a word full of painful regrets, of hurt and anger smashed tight and locked up in his heart. Family is him and Lillie, standing over their father's grave when he's five, and family is watching his mother go insane.





	Family

Family is a word full of painful regrets, of hurt and anger smashed tight and locked up in his heart. Family is him and Lillie, standing over their father's grave when he's five, and family is watching his mother go insane.

Family is something Gladion has never really counted on. Not something he ever understood the value of.

So it's something he begrudges Moon, when she first walks into his life. Hers is a house full of comfort and support, of a mother that is always _there_ with a hug and smile, and a father that, while not physically present, gives constant calls from Kanto. Hers is a life filled with the luxury of love, of acceptance.

A luxury that Gladion cannot afford.

At first, he hates that she lingers around him after their battles, how her wide eyes seem to stare into his soul while shining with a warmth he cannot understand. But the more he spends with her, the more she laughs- not at him, but with him. The more she smiles, and reaches out a helping hand.

Eventually, it's his turn to find her. Mostly because he finds himself at a loss when her smile passes through his thoughts, when the tension that perpetually seizes him stops only when it's around her, only to be replaced by a flutter in his stomach and the nervous beat of his heart. With her coy smile and gentle laugh, she drags things out of him he'd never knew himself capable of- laughter, happiness... trust.

Unlike his mother, his father, Moon's always there. By his side, back-to-back, sometimes screaming at him but always willing to hold him close in the end. Whispering sweet nothings in his ear as he makes love to her one night and picking up the pieces of his barely held composure the next. Slowly, the dull ache in his chest is replaced by the gentle touch of soothing moonlight. And sometimes he remembers- the touch of his father's hand, the genuine smile on his mother's face. His sister, eyes shining with pride _in him_ before they part.

Then one day he comes home to see Moon holding Decidueye's egg in her arms. She stands by the balcony, her Pokemon sleepily roosting by the corner, as the evening sun streams lazily over her hair and shoulders. A gentle smile tinges on her face as she turns to greet him, the warmth in her eyes seeping through his soul.

"You're just in time," she murmurs.

"In time?"

She nods, gesturing to the egg. A fine crack runs down its surface, and as realisation sets in, a tingle of excitement shoots through him.

They sit quiet as the shell breaks. A tiny beak pierces through the surface, followed by a brave chirp. They exchange a glance, then slowly they begin to work, pulling away scraps of shell from the little chick. Decidueye, bemused by the whole affair, merely watches.

Finally, just as the sun touches the horizon, the Rowlet's eyes blink open. It hoots, soft and gentle, its eyes bright and wide.

"Aw look, Deci. You're a mommy." Moon flashes a grin at her partner, and Decidueye hoots triumphantly in reply before absconding with the chick, flying off somewhere down the beach.

"Not even a thank you," he remarks. Moon pouts, but a smile lingers on her lips as she stretches out to him. He chuckles, pulling her close, arms wrapping tight around her.

"And after you've watched over the egg for what, forty days? Did she even pay you for babysitting duty?"

Moon shrugs. Glances up at him. "You know I'd do it for free."

He knows. Knows from the warm love in her eyes, the unbreaking gentleness in her smile. It's something he loves about her, envies her for. Something that... sometimes, he wishes he has.

A hoot from above interrupts them. Decidueye has made her way back silently, the baby Rowlet tucked safely in her arms. Her gaze passes over the both of them before finally settling on Gladion.

Hopping down from her perch, Decidueye holds Rowlet out to him. At first, he's stunned- by the imperious looking parent staring at him, and the little owl staring up at him with innocent, beady eyes.

"Take her." Moon jabs him with an elbow, his protests dying unsaid.

Hesitantly, he lifts the little Rowlet from its mother's wing. It's light, lighter than Crobat ever was. But even though he's a complete stranger, there is no hesitation in its eyes. Just a bright trust that's all too similar to his wife's own.

It coos softly, before nuzzling its beak against his jacket. His breath catches as the sensation, the feeling that warms him and spreads through his toes. Moon giggles, and when he glances at her, she smiles.

"Looks like you're her dad now, too."

He doesn't know what to say, can't put a word to what he feels. It's warm and buoyant and something _beyond_ happy. But the corners of his eyes start to prick, and Moon gasps.

She leans forward before he can react, her fingers catching his tears before they fall. Her lips curl in a smile, but her gray eyes are gentle and soft.

She shushes him before he can say anything, pressing her forehead against his. Her arms cradle him gently, before Decidueye wraps them both with its wings. Gladion closes his eyes, allows the moment to seep through him, to take root and grow.

And with a smile he thinks,

_So this is what family is._

**Author's Note:**

> It was actually a lot longer but a lot of it was superfluous so I cut it out...  
> Written for Lonashipping Week Day 5, "Family"! I just want some warm fluffy family stuff and character introspection...


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